Melinda Micco facts for kids

Melinda Beth Coker Micco (born December 21, 1947 – died December 5, 2021) was an amazing American filmmaker, scholar, activist, and teacher. She was a professor of ethnic studies at Mills College. She was also the very first Native American woman to earn a permanent teaching position, called tenure, at Mills College.

Early Life and Education

Melinda Beth Coker was born in Richmond, California. She was one of four daughters. Her family had roots in the Seminole, Choctaw, and Creek (Muscogee) nations. She was officially a member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.

Melinda graduated from Aragon High School in San Mateo, California in 1966. Later in life, when she was in her forties and a single mom, she went back to school. She earned three degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. She got her bachelor's degree in 1990, her master's in 1992, and her PhD in ethnic studies in 1995. Her big research project, called a dissertation, was about the history of the Seminole Nation.

Career and Activism

Melinda Micco started teaching at Mills College in 1993. She quickly became the head of the Ethnic Studies department in 1994. In that same year, she made history. She was the first Native American woman to earn tenure at Mills College. This meant she had a permanent teaching job there.

She taught classes about different cultures and spoke across the country. Her talks often focused on what it means to be Native American today. She retired from Mills College in 2018.

Melinda was also a strong activist. In 2018, she spoke at a big meeting about climate change in San Francisco. In 2019, she spoke at a rally in Berkeley. This rally was against places that hold immigrants. She started the Brave Hearted Women Conference. She also helped start Idle No More SF Bay. This group works for environmental justice. It is led by older Indigenous women. She was also very active at the Intertribal Friendship House in Oakland, California. This is a community center for Native American people.

Melinda Micco also made important documentaries. One was called Killing the 7th Generation: Reproductive Abuses against Indigenous Women. She made this with Esther Lucero, a teacher from the Diné Navajo nation. Another film was Every Step A Prayer: Refinery Corridor Healing Walks. She made this with Chihiro Wimbush. She also appeared in a Canadian documentary called Reel Injun (2006). This film looked at how Native Americans are shown in movies.

Personal Life

Melinda Micco was married and later divorced. She had two children. She passed away in 2021 in Oakland, California. She died just a few weeks before her 73rd birthday.